Yesterday, Royal Caribbean released its plans for the 2017 Alaska cruise season. The Explorer of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas will be deployed to sail Alaska for the 2017 season. According to Royal Caribbean's press release, the Explorer of the Seas will doing round-trip cruises from Seattle. The Radiance of the Seas will be sailing doing cruises that start in Vancouver & end in Seward and start in Seward & end in Vancouver. Essentially, using this information, the Explorer of the Seas will be primarily doing round trip voyages and the Radiance of the Seas will be doing one-way cruise voyages. (Cruise Tip: If you are looking at one of these cruises, make sure you pay attention to the port of departure and the port where the cruise will end.) This will be an exciting Alaska cruise season for Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean's Alaska cruisers will be offered a variety of cruise options that will take cruisers to many different scenic spots and ports. In addition, Royal Caribbean will be offering two new cruise tours for the 2017 season. Cruisers are able to book their Royal Caribbean Alaskan cruise starting today, February 26, 2016.

For Royal Caribbean's Full Press Release: ​Click Here (Will Open In A New Window)

The Carnival Breeze recently earned a score of 100 from the U.S.P.H. during a recent inspection of the ship. According to Carnival, ships that earn a 100, "must receive perfect marks on all 44 items that comprise the U.S.P.H's comprehensive Vessel Sanitation checklist". The inspectors view multiple areas on the ship to look for violations against health codes. 6 ships meeting this standard is an excellent accomplishment for Carnival and the crew onboard the high scoring ships deserve recognition too. The Carnival Breeze's crew members worked hard to earn this accomplishment. Congratulations to Carnival Cruise Line and the crew members of the Carnival Breeze for earning a score of 100.

The Carnival Magic is one of Carnival's newer ships that already contains a variety of amenities for cruisers to enjoy. However, later this month, Carnival will be taking the ship out of service for a dry-dock to do some basic cosmetic work and add some newer amenities to the ship. Besides general maintenance and cosmetic work, the Carnival Magic will be receiving:

Guy's Burger Joint - This is a popular Fun Ship 2.0 feature that Carnival has been slowly expanding to its ships. Guy's Burger Joint serves free hamburgers and french fries at lunchtime. Prior to getting Guy's Burger Joint, the Carnival Magic had a generic hamburger grill on its Lido Deck.

Blue Iguana Cantina - The Blue Iguana Cantina is another feature Carnival will be adding to the Carnival Magic's Lido deck. The Blue Iguana Cantina serves burritos and tacos at lunch. Usually, the Blue Iguana Cantina also has some breakfast options too. To compliment tacos and burritos, Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina also has a salsa bar. The salsa bar has a multitude of options available for cruisers. The Blue Iguana Cantina is complimentary!

Pizzeria Del Capitano - This feature is complimentary! Carnival's website states that Pizzeria Del Capitano has varieties of pizza and Caesar salad available 24 hours a day. My guess is this feature will be available somewhere on the ship's Lido Deck.

​Red Frog Rum Bar - The Red Frog Rum Bar serves frozen drinks and beer for cruisers to purchase. This new Caribbean themed bar will be located on the Lido Deck near the pool.

Blue Iguana Tequila Bar - The Blue Iguana Cantina Bar serves frozen drinks and beer for cruisers to purchase. This new Mexican themed bar will be located on the Lido Deck near the pool.

Alchemy Bar - The Alchemy Bar will also be added to the Carnival Magic during dry-dock. The Alchemy Bar allows cruisers to purchase mixed drinks in a pharmacy themed bar setting. Cruisers are able to tell bartenders to mix ingredients to make a drink a certain way.

One thing to note about this dry-dock is this will be the Carnival Magic's first. The ship entered service in 2011.

For more information on the Carnival Magic, please visit Carnival's website: Click Here

RyG's Cruise Guide upkeeps a dry-dock schedule page that lists known information about ship's dry-dock dates & features. If you would like to check out that page: Click Here